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Starting in 2014? Want to get on with some reading? The core module, which all history students have to take, is HY4001-40: London, 1660 - 1969. So, to get ahead of the game, read up as much as you can on the history of London in this period, especially looking at how people lived, what they did, and where differing classes lived. The course text is Roy Porter, London, a social history [any edition]. You should also get a copy of Richard Evans, In Defence of History [2001]. Both books are available on Amazon for around £10.00.

Happy reading!

Key Features

Well-qualified and dedicated staff who are frequently seen in the media

Placements are available during your course

Exchanges with American and European universities are also possible

We have a flexible approach to learning- and employers welcome historians with their analytical and problem- solving skills.

'History is indeed the witness of the times, the light of truth.'

- Cicero

Why study History?

In today’s world, history remains the most challenging and exciting of disciplines.

You'll acquire an ability to deal with profound questions and to provide many answers that can help in the understanding of people’s lives, beliefs and problems in the present day.

You’ll be able to explore a diverse range of sources, periods and themes, ranging from the medieval to the modern world. And, you’ll develop a wide variety of employment skills that will be useful in your future working life.

Lastly, the student of history is embarked on a voyage of discovery of how people acted in the past, but also how they dealt with issues and problems that still trouble, thrill or engage us today.

Course structure

This is a course designed to enable you to explore the aspects of history that most interest you. It will also give you knowledge and understanding of the subject as a scholarly discipline.

Year on year, we offer you a range of individual history modules designed to follow historical periods, places and persons. They enable you to study different kinds of history, which you’ll view from some unique historical perspectives.

Naturally there are placements available during your course, as we are keen to allow you to link your undergraduate life with the world of work. Some of our recent student placements, for example, enabled our students to engage in real-time projects with the local schools, Bath Central Library Local Studies; Bath Record Office; Museum of Bath at Work; Jollys Department Store;The Building of Bath Collection ; The American Museum in Britain; Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre; Radstock Museum; SS Great Britain and Downside Abbey. Some of our students recently developed a free history resource to help primary schools teach young children about the Olympic and Paralympic Games; with a unique focus on Bath and the south west of England. The project was supported by RELAYS and Team West of England, but was fully led by the students themselves.

You will also be able to access a range of overseas study trips and our exchange programmes.

Like other subjects in the undergraduate modular scheme, the student learning experience in History is based in a 3-year (levels 4-6) degree programme with its modules available to undergraduate students in 40 (core) and 20 credit (optional) formats. Core modules are those modules that we believe are essential to the understanding of the subject; optional modules are those modules which we believe can give our students a choice of developing a more detailed understanding of a particular period, country, or persons, or historical theme. The progressive mix of the two types of modules not only gives our students a broad general historical experience, knowledge and understanding of the subject over the three years, but allows them to acquire qualities of mind in a variety of forms. It also leads to the development of generic and specific skills highly relevant to a wide variety of careers in the postgraduate world.

Modules

Each History module lasts approx. 26 weeks and has a varied contact time of between 2-4 hours per week (excluding student-staff tutorials).

Year One

Changing Histories (Core module);

Medieval and Renaissance Worlds (Option module);

Age of the People: Europe c.1870-1990 (Option module);

Age of Discovery to the Gilded Age: America c.1492-1914 (Option module);

Unruly Lot: women and social change in Europe and North America c.1550-1914 (Option module);

Age of Empires (c.1492-1857) (Option module);

Heritage and Applied History*;

The Business of Heritage*.

Year Two

Making History (Core module);

Humanities at Work I (Option module – project-based/work-based learning module);

Nineteenth Century Britain and Ireland: Politics and Society (Option module);

*Modules available as second subject or options from part the Heritage BA/BSc Combined Award

Course assessment

The assessment we use varies on our modules but it is especially geared to helping you learn. It includes assignments that are all designed to test a variety of skills useful in your life beyond University, as well as in the field of history.

We link our assessment to your course learning outcomes. It is dynamic and it's diverse, but it is very much student orientated, You'll be undertaking some formal examinations, essays, research projects, timed critical analyses, and a number of differing special assignments. Your assessment will be an evolving process, it will allow you not only the opportunity to show what you know, but what you understand and what you can do. You'll be able to access tutorials and one-to one meetings to help you in your work and when you have finished particular assignments you'll have further tutorials to help you understand the next task.

In History we are particularly proud of our cohesive and comprehensive support network that helps you to achieve the best results possible.

You’ll be taught by well-qualified and dedicated history staff. They not only have many innovative approaches in learning and teaching, using new technology for example, but also use their own cutting-edge historical research in the class and lecture theatre.

You’ll naturally gain knowledge and understanding of history as a scholarly discipline, but you’ll also develop a multitude of skills that will be useful in your future working life.

Teaching methods

Your history modules will be taught by a mixture of lectures (which set out the broad themes and issues of a subject), seminars (where we look at document and historical evidence and where we also include student presentations, group-work, computer assisted sessions and documentary or audio-visual work) and one-to-one tutorials where you'll get individual help with your work. There are also educational visits, such as trips to London and Dublin, as well as to nearby locations. Exchanges with American and European universities are available.

Amongst the innovative ways we deliver the course to you is by encouraging the use of video on your own smartphones, iPads, and flip/digital cameras. ‘Podcasting’ is also used as a supplement to the traditional lectures and as part of our blended learning techniques. Twitter is also used to deliver opportunities for ‘crowd sourcing’ research activities across some of the modules for our students, by getting students to help with gathering information, making observations, undertaking data analysis, transcribing and editing documents.

A key aim of the learning and teaching strategy here is ‘To maximise students’ abilities to achieve successful career outcomes’. Our students can reflect on their personal development via electronic log-books on their learning and its relationship to their future.

'In the [Hy5001-40] seminar this week we had a lesson on networking with Ian Rowe, this was a very interesting and helpful seminar for me as I am an amateur stand-up comedian and spend a lot of my time meeting new people who could help me get better gigs. Ian highlighted the importance of social networking and being very easily contactable, many comedians I have met, especially the professionals, have also emphasised social networking and I have decided to get a twitter account, as well as a business card. We also had to draw a diagram of our own network, I found this very interesting as even though we are all quite young we still have decent sized networks. Also while discussing comedy with Ian, I realised just how difficult it is to meet people inside the industry and how important it is for me to improve my networking skills if I want to progress'

Course enquiries

Typical offer range for UK / EU applicants

260–300 UCAS Tariff points.

Career opportunities

Employers welcome the analytical and problem-solving skills and the flexible approach to learning that history students acquire. You’ll not only gain knowledge and understanding of history as a scholarly discipline, but you’ll also develop a multitude of skills that will be useful in your future working life. As a result our history students find employment in a wide variety of careers:

teaching (subject to PGCE)

administration and management

lecturing

commerce and banking

media and tourism

museums/heritage

librarianship

police

law and public relations

There are also opportunities to undertake postgraduate work at Masters and doctorate level.

We also find that the our recent students felt that particular employability skills were developed during the course of the History programme. These include: Time management; IT skills; Written communication skills; Oral communication skills; Working with fellow students; Finding and selecting information from a wide range of sources; Evaluating information from a wide range of sources.

Since 2011, employers such as Unilever, The National Trust, Don Foster (MP), The Jane Austen Centre, The Bishop's Palace Trust (Wells) and The Association of Learning Providers have recruited graduates from this course. Students have also gone into roles including Archives and Records Assistant, Historical Researcher, Curriculum Assistant, Part time lecturer and Historical Educator.

What students say...

Recent graduates:

“Studying History at Bath Spa University has proved an excellent foundation for my future academic pursuits. Prior to studying History at Bath Spa I had no real sense of my future career plans. However, the course has provided me with the inspiration, enthusiasm and skills to pursue postgraduate study. The course has also provided me with transferable skills should my projected career plans change.”

“I have found studying History at Bath Spa University immensely enjoyable and rewarding. The History faculty has been supportive, knowledgeable and approachable. I found the course offered real value to my professional and personal development.”

Kindra Jones, History, graduated 2011:

“I run my own business, KITHE, providing historical characters and events to museums, schools and heritage sites in the UK. Covering from early medieval through to the Second World War, I am constantly researching and adding to my wardrobe and artefacts.

All the skills that I need on my current career path were enhanced during my time at Bath Spa. When talking to the public my answers must be concise, well organised and backed by research, skills that the numerous essays and presentations helped me to develop. Professional correspondence and meetings with clients are critical for the bigger events, and I feel that my course prepared me for these very well. When I first started university I suffered from panic attacks when giving presentations, over the course these lessened until they stopped entirely. This was in large part due to my tutors working with me to find ways to make them less stressful and easier for me to cope with. I was so lucky to have great tutors.”

Nicola Tallis, graduated 2011:

“I loved the fact that the course was really challenging, and gave me the opportunity to learn about a wide and varied period of history. The tutors were always friendly, encouraging and approachable. It was a life changing experience, and the best thing I have ever done. The course prepared me for my career amazingly well. I went on to do an internship at Hampton Court Palace, and I could never have done this had I not done my course. I had to give a presentation at the end of my internship, and had I not done this many times at university, I would have had little confidence. As it was, I was complimented on my excellent verbal presentation skills! It improved my writing and referencing skills, and now I’m writing a book. It also made me consider the bigger picture in a way I never have done before, and this is crucial when you are carrying out historical research and writing a book.”